Time meter



July 24, 1962 H. B. HEUER 3,045,418

TIME METER Filed June 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. B. HEUER July 24, 1962TIME METER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 7, 1960 ite Stats Patent3,045,418 TIME METER Hubert Bernard Heuer, Gottstatt, near Orpund,Switzerland, assignor to Ed. Heuer & Co. 5A., a Swiss firm Filed June 7,1960, Ser. No. 34,436 3 Claims. (Cl. 5874) My invention has for itsobject a time-meter including an hour indicating disc rotatingintermittently so as to make successive digits appear behind a gateformed in a dial; means for driving the hour indicating disc, consistingof a star wheel fixed below the disc and a pinion mounted on aneccentric centre wheel; a spring detent engaging into the star wheel soas to hold the hour indicating' disc at a given angular position; apush-button arrangement for zero re-set of the hour indicating discindependently from zero re-set of the minute and second indicatingmembers, said arrangement comprising a push button, a rocking memberproviding for the progression'of the star wheel by one interval at everypressure on the push-button, and means preventing the star wheel fromrotating by an angle greater than an interval owing to its inertia andagainst setting lever action whenever an exaggerated pressure is exertedon the push-button.

The accompanying drawings illustrate, by way of example, a preferredembodiment of the time-meter form-- ing disc 10, the digits on whichappear through the gate 11 formed in the dial 12, while a centralminute-hand 13 and a sweep seconds hand 14 turn over said dial.

The mechanism controlling the time-indicating members is carried by thepillar plate 15 and includes (FIG. 4) an eccentric centre Wheel andpinion 16, a third wheel and pinion 17 and a fourth wheel and pinionarranged centrally at 18.

The sweep seconds hand 14 is driven, as shown in FIG. 4, over a sleeve19 fitted with slight friction over the end of the spindle 28 rigid withthe fourth wheel and pinion 18. Said sleeve 19, revolving inside abearing sleeve 21 formed in a bridge plate 22 secured to the pillarplate 15 on the side facing the dial, is provided at its lower end witha heart-shaped return to zero cam 23.

The minute hand 13 is keyed to a cannon pinion 24 adapted to revolveround the bearing 21. Over the pipe of cannon pinion 24 is freely fittedthe hub 25 of an arrangement formed by the hour indicating disc and bythe twelve-pointed star wheel 36; said hub is provided at its lower endwith a carrier section revolving inside a circular bearing formed by anopening in a small bar 26. The latter is fitted on the pillar platethrough the agency of an annular bridge plate 27 (FIG. 2).

The cannon pinion 24, of which the axial shifting is limited by the bar26, is driven by the centre wheel and pinion 16 through the agency of arotary system 29, fitted with slight friction over the end of thespindle 68 of said centre wheel and pinion and passing through the plate15, and of a transmission pinion 30.

The rotary system 29 includes .a toothed wheel 31 carrying a projection32 and a heart-shaped return to zero cam 33. The transmission pinion 30is fitted in an arm 3,045,418 Patented July 24, 1962 34 (FIG. 3) and isurged against the teeth on the cannon pinion 24 and on the toothed wheel31 by a spring 35.

The angular position of the arrangement 10-36 resting in the small bar26 and held in position by a clip 28, is defined by a spring detent 37,FIG. 2. At each rotation of the centre wheel and pinion 16, theprojection 32 provides for the progression of the star wheel 36 by oneinterval, i.e. by one twelfth of a revolution of the disc 10 rigid withthe star wheel.

The means controlling the starting and the stopping of the drivingmechanism include, as shown in FIG. 3, a stop-carrying wheel 38 rigidwith a ratchet 39 provided with sixteen teeth. Said wheel 38 carryingeight stops 40 is subjected to the action of a spring detent 41 and isactuated by a catch 42 connected with the rod 43 of a central pushermember 44 (FIG. 1). A pressure exerted on the latter provides for aprogression by one tooth interval of the ratchet wheel 39, whichproduces the starting and stopping of the driving mechanism according tothe angular position assumed by the stops 40.

The stoppage of the mechanism is obtained through the agency of twobrakes 46 and 45 acting simultaneously, respectively on the wheel 47 ofthe fourth wheel and pinion 18 and on the balance wheel 48. The brake 45is constituted by a lever, of which one arm carries a shoe 49, while itsother arm is provided with a nose 50. Said braking leveris subjected tothe action of a spring 51 which urges the shoe 49 against thecooperating part of the balance wheel 48. If the wheel 38 is in theangular position illustrated in the drawing, the nose 50 is raised byone of .the stops 40 and the shoe 49 is held away from the balancewheel. If the wheel 38 is, in contradistinction, in an angular positionspaced by one sixteenth of a revolution with reference to the positionillustrated, the nose 49 drops into the space separating two successivestops 40 and the shoe 49 locks the balance wheel 48 against movement.The brake 46, which is constituted by a spring blade, is controlled bythe brake 45 and acts through the agency of a shoe 52 on the teeth ofthe wheel 47.

The return to zero of the hands 13 and 14 is obtained through the agencyof an arrangement including a forked rocking member 53, the arms 54 and55 of which form two hammers adapted to act on the correspondingheartshaped return to zero cams 23 and 33.

The rocking member 53 is controlled by a lateral pusher knob 56 (FIGS. 1and 2) subjected to the action of a return spring, not shown. Saidarrangement is locked whenever a stop 40 is located in registry with thetailpiece 58 of the rocking member 53, as occurs each time the brakes 45and 46 are not actuated and it is released at the moment at which a stop40 raises the nose 50 and produces a locking of the driving mechanism.

The indicating mechanism is arranged for zero resetting the hourindicating disc 10 independently from the zero resetting of the otherindicating members.

This arrangement includes a lateral push-button 59 controlling a rockingmember 61 subject to the action of a return spring 62. Said rockingmember, when pivoting because a pressure is exerted on the push-button,touches a tooth of the star wheel 36 and provides for its progression byan angle greater than half an interval, thus enabling the setting lever37 to complete the action of the rocking lever conveniently while thelatter returns to its first position.

The star wheel 36 is prevented from moving through an angle larger thanone interval under the action of its inertia whenever the action of thespring detent 37 is overcome by an exaggerated pressure exerted on thepushbutton 59. This is obtained by the shape of the end of the rockingmember 61, which and forms a projection u) 70 bounded by an innerimpulse surface 71 adapted to impinge against the rear side 73 of thesuccessive teeth of the star wheel and to thus make the star wheel turnintermittently while the outer surface 72 of the projection 70 forms anabutment stopping the successive star wheel teeth through their frontside 74 just after the impulse has been given to the preceding starwheel tooth.

The impulse surface 71 is rounded so as to engage only a very small areaon the rear side 73 of the successive teeth during the successiveimpulses. In contradistinction the abutment surface 74 is rectilinearand engages a line on the front side 74 of the successive teeth so as tostop the star wheel.

The rounded shape of the impulse surface allows thus a sliding movementthereof over the rear side of the cooperating teeth when the rockingmember is caused to pivot under the action of the push-button 59; thisensures an even distribution of wear.

These impulse and abutment surfaces are designed so as to limit to aminimum the time elapsed between the actual beginning of the impulse andthe stop produced by the abutment surface. This cuts out any undesiredshocks.

The spring detent 37, the rocking member 61 and the return spring actingthereon are fitted on the annular bridge member 27. A ring 63 screwedover the sleeve inside which the stem of the pusher member 59 slides,allows axially locking the latter against inward movement.

What I claim is:

1. A time meter comprising an hour disc carrying an annular scale ofhours, a gated dial under which said disc is adapted to revolve to showthe figures of its scale in succession through the gate in the dial, anannular minute scale on the dial, a minute hand and a sweep seconds handcooperating with the minute scale, an eccentric centre gear including aspindle, a toothed wheel fitted with slight friction over said spindleand controlling the minute hand, two return to zero cams rigid with saidsweep seconds hand and with said toothed wheel respectively, aprojection carried eccentrically by the toothed wheel, a star-shapedwheel coaxially rigid with the hour disc and driven by said projectionengaging in intervals between its teeth, a train of gears operativelyconnecting the sweep seconds hand with the centre gear, a first knob, abalance wheel operatively connected with said train of gears, meansengaging the train of gears and the balance wheel and controlled by saidfirst knob to produce alternatively upon successive actuations of thefirst knob, the starting and the stopping of the operation of the timemeter, a second knob controlling the return to zero of the two return tozero cams; a third knob and a mechanism through which actuation of saidthird knob shifts the star-shaped wheel and hour disc stepwise to zero.

2. A time meter comprising an hour disc carrying an annular scale ofhours, a gated dial under which said disc is adapted to revolve to showthe figures of its scale in succession through the gate in the dial, anannular minute scale on the dial, a minute hand and a sweep seconds handcooperating with the minute scale, an eccentric centre gear, including aspindle, a toothed wheel fitted with slight friction over said spindleand ccntroh ling the minute hand, a return to zero lll' auisrn,including cams, for the seconds hand and the n nute hand, a projectioncarried eccentric. lly by the toothed wheel, a star-shaped wheelcoax-ially rigid with the hour disc and driven by said projection engac'ig the intervals between its teeth, a train of gears operativeiy conncrthe sweep seconds hand with the centre gear, a first khan, meansengaging the train of gears and controlled by said first knob to producealternatively upon successive actuations of the first knob the startingand the stopping of the operation of the time meter, s second knobcontrolling the return to zero of the two return to zero cam a thirdknob, a me ring member controlled by said third knob and one end ofwhich faces the star-shaped wheel, to engage upon actuation of saidthird knob the interval between two successive teeth to thereby si'liftthe at shaped wheel by one tooth interval, a spring detent holding thestar-shaped wheel elastically in its successive angular positionscorresponding to accurate positioning of an hour scale figure under thedial gate.

3. A time meter comprising an hour disc carrying an annular scale ofhours, a gated dial under which said disc is adapted to revolve to showthe figures of its scale in succession through the gate in the dial, anannular minute scale on the dial, a minute hand and a sweep seconds handcooperating Wl-lJ the minute scale, an eccentric centre gear, includinga spindle, a toothed wheel fitted with slight friction over said spindleand controlling the minute hand, a return to zero mechanism for theseconds hand and the minute hand, a projection carried eccentrically bythe toothed wheel, a star-shaped wheel coaxially rigid with the hourdisc and driven by said projection engaging the intervals between itsteeth, a train of gears operatively connecting the sweep seconds handwith the centre gear, a first knob, means engaging the train of gearsand controlled by said first knob to pro duce alternatively uponsuccessive actuations of the first knob the starting and the stopping ofthe operation of the time meter, a second knob controlling the return tozero of the zero mechanism, a third knob, a rocking member controlled bysaid third knob and one end of which forms a projection extendingtowards said starshaped wheel and defined between a forward roundedimpulse surface adapted to engage the rear surfaces of the successiveteeth of the star-shaped wheel to urge the latter through one toothinterval and a substantially flat rear abutment surface stopping theprogression of the star-shaped wheel by engagement with the frontsurface of the following tooth a very short moment after the impulse hasbeen given by the impulse surface, a spring detent holding thestar-shaped wheel elastically in its successive angular positionscorresponding to an accurate positioning of an hour scale figure underthe dial gate.

References Cited in the file or" this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 71,947Switzerland Mar r, 19l6 161,G93 Switzerland July l7, 1933 1,000,067France Get 10, 1951

